12.11.14
Looking back on a wonderful event
RTM has uploaded scores of photos from our hugely successful High Speed 2 The Northern Hub Dinner on 6 November.
Were you there? See if you're featured in our photos of the champagne reception and dinner: www.facebook.com/railtechnologymagazine
More than 650 people from across the rail industry gathered in Manchester at the Palace Hotel for the black-tie dinner to hear from the people leading those projects, to contribute to a lively panel session on rail connectivity in the north, and to network and socialise into the early hours.
The event attracted attention across the country, including at the highest levels – the chancellor, George Osborne, addressed the crowd in a video message from the Treasury, congratulating the hard work of those in the audience and explaining his plans for a ‘Northern Powerhouse’.
Keynote speeches by HS2 managing director for development Alison Munro and Network Rail’s LNW route director Jim Syddall set the scene and outlined both the huge amounts of work available and the challenges and opportunities ahead, before they joined other guests for a Q&A panel session, chaired entertainingly and insightfully by the evening’s host, BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott.
That panel session also featured Jon Lamonte, chief executive of Transport for Greater Manchester; Nick Donovan, director of First TransPennine Express; Charlie Cornish, group chief executive at Manchester Airport; and Alex Hynes, managing director of Northern Rail. Question topics included skills, rolling stock, HS2 station siting, the planning process, the new Transport for the North body, the customer experience for passengers on the north’s rail network, and getting more women into railway engineering.
There is feedback from the night here, and there will be full coverage in the next edition of RTM.